Restaurant Heimat in Utrecht has simply opened. In actual fact, I used to be there for the primary common evening, after a trial week. My principal objective to be there was to meet up with an expensive pal, who lives across the nook from the restaurant. I wasn’t planning on doing a evaluate because the night was to be targeted on our dialog somewhat than meals and wine. However I made a decision to do a evaluate in spite of everything.
The identify “Heimat” is German for “residence nation” and refers back to the native substances used within the dishes. The younger chef Niels van Zijl has labored at Librije*** in Zwolle (Netherlands) and Kadeau** in Copenhagen (Denmark), and the affect of nordic delicacies is obvious. There is no such thing as a à la carte, solely an 8 course chef’s menu (meat&fish or vegan) for 79 euros. There may be an alcoholic beverage pairing or a fairly first rate wine record to select from.
We began with a glass of glowing Vouvray, made out of Chenin, brut nature, and aged 9 months on the lees. I’m acquainted with Crément de Loire, however don’t bear in mind a glowing Appellation Vouvray Contrôlée. A effective mouse and a properly fruity.
The amuses bouches consisted of three components. The primary half was a plâteau de crudité (uncooked greens and fruits) with a smoked cashew dip. It was a pleasant choice, however the cashew dip didn’t style smoky and never very very like cashew.
The second and third half have been a tartlet with cheese, lovage, and horseradish, and asparagus soup with grapefruit. I didn’t take care of the grapefruit within the asparagus soup, unsure what it added.
The sommelier Bas Janssen instructed a white wine would go nicely with the primary 4 programs, so I made a decision to order a pleasant bottle of Meursault somewhat than going with the beverage pairing. With Meursault you don’t actually know what to anticipate when you don’t know the producer, however Bas was excellent at describing the wine precisely because it was: not too wealthy and really balanced, with a pleasant minerality.
The primary course of the chef’s menu was smoked trout with chiogga beets, rhubarb, and seaweed. The rhubarb didn’t actually stand out, however I contemplate {that a} good factor. The trout was very good.
The second course was vegan ‘foie gras’ with roasted/dried carrots, and buckthorn sorbet. The vegan foie gras was very good and made out of mushrooms and nuts, with a texture very very like precise foie gras. The sorbet was fairly strongly flavored and took away the eye from the beautiful foie, nevertheless it was nonetheless a pleasant dish.
Subsequent was a bread course of rye bread and layered brioche with caramelized seeds and whipped goat butter. The brioche feuilleté was like a croissant and should be plenty of work to make. I appreciated the seeds.
The fourth course and last course we loved with the Meursault was barbecued white asparagus with caremelized witlof (endives), ajo blanco, and kiwi berry. The white asparagus had been barbecued with out peeling them, after which peeled to serve. This removes the barbecue taste, and on a number of items that also had a few of the charring, it tasted extra burnt than smoky. The asparagus with out charring have been effective, however hadn’t actually benefited from the barbecue. The caramelized witlof was sweetened with sugar. In keeping with the wait employees, the sugar was added as a result of throughout the trial week company had complained concerning the bitterness of the witlof. It was nonetheless bitter with the sugar, and too robust a taste to go along with the elegant taste of the asparagus. This was our least favourite dish of the menu.
For the meat course we had a glass from the common wine pairing, a Garnacha from DO Méntrida in Spain. The Meursault was a troublesome act to comply with.
The principle course was three totally different prepations of lamb: loin, stomach, and kebab with inexperienced sauce. The stomach was completely cooked and really flavorful. The kebab with the sauce was scrumptious, and the perfect pairing with the Garnacha.
The wine pairing for dessert was a glowing Souvignier Gris from the South of France. It was introduced to us as a glowing Gewurztraminer, however I couldn’t detect any of the attribute aromas. In keeping with the web site of the producer it’s a Souvignier Gris, which makes extra sense. It is sort of a lighter model (much less fruity, much less candy) of a Moscato d’Asti.
This was pairing for the sheep yogurt sorbet with cress. I appreciated the sorbet, however there was an excessive amount of cress; it tasted ‘too inexperienced’ for my liking.
Espresso or tea was accompanied by a doughnut in an unlucky form with a pumpkin and bearclaw dip. The doughnut was only a doughnut, and the dip didn’t style as fascinating because it sounds (and didn’t stick nicely to the doughnut).
We’ve had a really satisfying night. It was not noticeable in any respect that the restaurant had been open for every week solely. One of the best half was the service, which was wonderful. Very attentive and paced good. We talked about we needed to drink the Meursault over 4 programs, and it was poured in precisely the suitable tempo for that. The sommelier undoubtedly is aware of his wines (it was not the sommelier who introduced the glowing dessert wine as Gewurztraminer). The chef may be very artistic and has plenty of potential; he undoubtedly is aware of tips on how to cook dinner. As with many younger cooks, he but has to be taught that “much less is extra”. I believe the dishes would profit from utilizing fewer substances and fewer strategies. Why go to the difficulty of smoking cashews when you can’t style smoke within the outcome anyway? And if the restaurant is all about making the substances shine, then why add caramelized witlof that overpowers the asparagus, or a sorbet that outshines the great vegan foie gras? I’m curious to see how this restaurant will develop.
